Shutdown HTPC from Vera controller

Here's how I configured my girlfriend's Vera to shutdown her (Windows-based) HTPC when a certain scene gets triggered:

1. Make sure that the HTPC can always be reached from Vera, by giving it a static IP address or a DHCP reservation (using the DHCP server/router).

2. Install EventGhost on the HTPC.

3. In the Options of EventGhost, enable it to start automatically.

4. Create an empty folder somewhere and an empty HTML file inside (I created C:\Users\USERNAME\eventghost\eventghost.html).

5. Click “Add plugin” > “Webserver” (at the bottom of the list, in my case).

6. Configure the plugin to listen on a port (e.g. 8123) and set the document root to the folder containing the HTML file (e.g. C:\Users\USERNAME\eventghost).

7. Right-click the top of the “Configuration tree” in EventGhost and add a macro.

8. Select “Power Management” > “Turn off computer”, optionally check the box to force turning off (in case some program does not stop correctly or other users are logged on - data loss may occur though).

9. Right-click the macro folder and add an event. Name it “HTTP.Shutdown”. (“Shutdown” can really be anything, as long as it is the same in the luup code used in Vera.)

10. Find or create a suitable scene in Vera’s UI7 and in step 3, select to run some luup code. Enter the following command:

    luup.inet.wget("http://IP-OF-THE-HTPC/eventghost.html?Shutdown")